The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1887-05-13

saw q man ON horseback, cantering easily
toward him, In whom he had little difficulty
In recognising a. Frank Muller. He went
and picked up his hat; there was bullethole
right throughit Then, full Of wrath, he ad-
vanced to meet Frank Muller.
| "What the - did you mean by firing at
| mein he asked.
"Allemachter, Carle!" almighty, my dear
fellow was tho cool answer, " thought that
you were vilderbeeste calf. / galloped the
cow and killed her, and abe had calf with
her, and when got the cartridges out OF my
rife-for one stuck and took me some time
and the new ones in, looked up, and there,
as thought, was the calf So got my rife
| on and let drive, first with one Larrel and
then with the other, and when l saw you
| jump up like that and shout, and that had
been airing at man, l nearly tainted. Thank
the Almighty did not hit YOU"
John listened coldly. II suppose that am
bound to believe you, Meinhear Muller" he
said. "But l have been told that you have
the most wonderful sight Of any man in these
parts. which makes it odd that at 800 yards
you should mistake man upon his hands and
knees for vilderbeeste calf"
"Does the captain think, then, that wished
to murder him; especially" he added, "after
took his hand this morningf'
~ don't know what think" answered
John, looking straight into Muller's eyes,
which fell before his own "Au know Ia
that your curious mistake very nearly cost
me my life. Look here!" and he took a lock
of his brown hair out Of the crown of his per-
forated hat and showed it to the other
Jay, it was very close. Let us thank God
that you escaped"
ut could not well have been closer, mein-
beer. I hope that, both for your own sake
and for the sake Of the people who go out
shooting with you, you will not make such a
mistake again. Good morning."
The handsome Boer, or Anglo Boer, sat on
his horse stroking his beautiful beard and
gazing curiously after John Niel's sturdy
English looking figure as he marched toward
the cart for, Of course, the wounded Wider
beeste had long ago vanshed).
~ WONDER" he said to himself aloud, as he
turned his horses head and rode leisurely
away, 'If the old volk are right after all, and
II there is God" Frank Muller was sufi-
GENTLY impregnated with modern ideas to be
free thinker.) ut almost seems like it," he
went on, "else how did it come that the one
bullet passed under his belly and the other
just touched his head without harming hint
I aimed carefully enough, too, and could
make the shot nineteen times out of twenty
and not miss Bah, God! snap my
fingers at him. Chance is the only god
Chance blows men about like the dead grass,
till death comes down like the veldt fire and
burns them up. But there are men who ride
chance as one rides young colt-ay, who
turn its headlong rushing and rearing to their
own ends-who let it fly hither and thither
till it is weary, and then canter it along the
road that leads to triumph. 1, Frank Null
Ter, am one of those men. never fail in the
end. will kill that Englishman Perhaps /
will kill old Silas Croft and the Hottentot,
too Bah! they do not know what is coming
know; have helped to lay the mine; and
unless they bend to my will shall be the one
to fire it. will kill them all and will take
Mooifontein, and then will marry Bessie.
She will fight against it, but that will make
it all the sweeter. She loves that rooibaatje;
I know it, and will kiss her over his dead
body All! there are the carts. don't see
the captain. Driven home, suppose, on ac-
count Of the shock to his nerves Well, I
must talk to these fools. Lord, what fools
they are with their talk about the land and
'ths sverdomde Britische government They
don't know what. is good for them. Silly
sheep, with Frank Muller for a shepherd!
Ay, and they shall have Frank Muller for
president one day, and will rule them, too.
Bah! l hate the English; but am glad that
I am half English for all that, for that is
where get the brains! But these people
fools, fools. Well, I shall pipe and they shall
dance!"
"Baas," said Jantje to John, as they were
driving homeward, "Baas Frank shot at YOU"
allow do you know that" asked John.
u saw him. He was stalking the wounded
bull, and not looking for q calf at all. There
was no calf. He was just going to fire at the
wounded bull when he turned and saw you,
and he knelt down and covered you, and be-
fore could do anything he fred, and then
when he saw that he had missed you he fired
again, and don't know how it was he didn't
kill you, for he is wonderful shot with a
ri1e-he never misses"
~ will have the man tried for attempted
murder" said John, bringing the butt end
of his rifle down with bang ON to the bot
tom of the cart "A villain like that shall
not 60 scot free"
Jantje grinned.
ut is no use, baas. He would get off, for
am the only witness. A jury won't believe a
black man in this country, and they weuld
never punish Boer for shooting at an Eng
lishman. No. baas, you should lie up one
day in the veldt where he is going to pass
and shoot him. That is what would do if I |
dared"
To be Continued.